Alex The Ghost Soldier
by 4fireking
Summary: A boy is a Diclonius. How is he a Diclonius? He is twenty five percent Diclonius. His grandmother was a Diclonius but over the years her offspring carry less of the gene. Alex lost his family, went into a town with kidnappers and soldiers hunting for people like him, and his only friends are homeless kids. The story was worked on by 4fireking and AlexDeGhost
1. Chapter 1

**The character Alex in this story belongs to AlexDeGhost. He is writing his own version of this story and I am writing my own. I hope you enjoy my version. **

(Alex's POV)

I am not violent. I never hurt anyone nor do I ever intent on hurting someone. My family on the other hand…they have lots of enemies.

People call me stereo because I say things people don't like. I have a strict sense never to talk to anyone even if they seem friendly. There were a lot of people who falsely say they are friendly, but turn on you like rabid wolves to eat you. I live in Canada and haven't found anyone who would want to hurt me, but my father struggles providing for his family, me, my mother, my two older brothers, and my grandma. I sound like I am from an ordinary family but that's just a lie for the police.

Our life is really that of guns and death. Back in the 40's my grandfather was mixed in with the mob instead of going off to fight in World War Two like he told his father. grandpa pretended he was fighting for his country and even wrote letters to his parents explaining the things they were doing, which was really just a forged copy from a mobster who took part in the first world war. Eventually he met my grandma, the first woman he ever loved. She was unlike any girl Luke had ever met; he had his first time with a woman who turned out to be a lesbian and would only sleep with him because his boss told her to do it. The rest of the girls were sneaking around from their boyfriends and sleeping with him for extra cash.

He first walked by her when he saw a wedding taking place in the streets. She appeared when the bride was throwing a bouquet of flowers; she came and jumped higher than the rest of the girls to catch it. It was at that moment grandpa realized she was so eager to get married. They started out as two people who could share secrets with each other. grandma told grandpa to be sure to tell her if they ever fell in love with someone to tell them immediately.

Four years later after staying as just friends grandpa finally told her he liked her, and she reciprocated his feelings. However, grandpa didn't have money for a wedding. He stole the money from boss of the mafia for their wedding to which he eloped to Canada where they could hide but stay close to their families. Grandma gave birth to his first son (my father) Frank and two years later gave birth to their second son Mickey (my uncle). Everything seemed so perfect...

Those happy moments ended after ten years when the mob caught up with my father to which they wanted to kill him. They sent a bomb hidden in a package addressed to grandpa who had taken both his kids ( my father and my uncle) to their first hockey rink. When grandma opened the package she was vaporized by the blast of the bomb. The police than found the note addressed to grandpa. Reading that message grandpa wanted to have his revenge for grandma.

My grandpa changed Frank and Mickey's hearts into young soldiers. He raised them until they were seventeen years old and could eliminate the mafia. He was able to get them to join the mafia; the mafia kept tabs on location and grandpa but not his family. My parents joined...right at the beginning of the month where the boss's son was going to be wed to Lupita Mally (my mother), planning to execute all of them on the day of the wedding.

The violent parts I heard from my father whom was speaking about his father and the plan his brother and he were about to do...the rest I heard from my mother. She fell in love with my father when she on the veranda, covering her black eye with a white eye patch, and her husband came in because he heard her crying in the hall and his soft side couldn't stand to see women cry.

" Is our marriage that of a mouse to a hawk or a goose to a fox?" She said hiding her bandaged eye. " But you know how my family goes. I am to help the unity of our family or be kicked out of my family."

She cried when she said it. Poor mom needed someone to protect her from that awful husband. With the help of my uncle and grandfather—he was only helping because he thought of it as a way to get back at the don—helped her escape writing a ransom note under the alias of a member of her family. The two mafia groups went to war against uniting their organization.

Everyone was perfect again for my grandpa. His son married my mother to unite their three family members with her. I would like to say our family prospered when I was born as well as my two brothers. I was wrong. There was something different about me...I had the ability to heal myself. One day I was riding on my bike and had cuts and scrapes over my body. I restored my skin to normal after crying like a fool.

I have shown to have an above normal intelligence. When I was given a writing book I can finish every page in just one day, I also have what my father describes as a "photographic memory". My skin is light and my eyes are blue. I have a full head of dark blond hair that stands up at random spots and is short. Because it was mostly cold here in Canada I wear a black winter hat. I am very shy about my looks and wear a Ranger mask to be safe. I keep my arms warm with black gloves, cover my hair with a gray hoodie that also keeps me warm and stops my hair from getting frizzy, wear normal jeans and sneakers.

Time never mattered to me. Time always move slowly. For days and months and years I have been living in a RV when you are a seven year old boy with a small imagination. Right now my mom is driving the car, my grandpa is snoozing, sleeping next to him with empty plastic pudding snacks were my brothers, and my Dad was in his "Private Room". Like every private room, the rooms your parents tell you never to open, never open them.

" Alex," my mother said while still driving the RV. " There's a Mcdonald's coming up. Do you want anything?"

" Can I have their pancakes and chocolate milk?" I asked hoping her answer would be yes.

" You can. Wake your brothers up to see if they want anything as well."  
>My parents think they know more about me than I know about them , but they are wrong. I know more about my parents than I should know. I know every night my parents like to leave the RV when they think I'm asleep because that's when they get to have sex. I know where they keep their money and why they don't hug me very often. I even know what my father's favorite book was when he was growing up; all coming from grandpa.<p>

I played very loud and obnoxious music from my cellphone. My first brother Oswald push me away and my second brother Brett just played his music even louder than me. Silly me, I was in such a rush talking about myself I forgot to mention my brothers. There's Oswald, the future photographer, ten years old, and a potential photographer. He wants to one day get into the business of catching rich people having affairs from their wives…what my father joked about. My other brother Brett likes to stack things. He likes to drink water glasses than stack the others to make a pyramid.

I look outside noticing the scene change from a forest to a long road path past a jagged mountain. And on the other side of this road I could see a big Mcdonald's sign where I would finally have my desert. Just when we were about to make it to the sign I heard dad shout something out in his room. He burst out of his room, a look of insanity in his eyes, and grabbed my arm. He was pulling me towards his room, the place I wasn't allowed to be in, taking me out through the back.

" Mommy!" The last thing I yelled being carried by my dad off the road.  
>A well-known group appeared on the road. They shot at the car hitting the front until my mom came to a stop. One tank was rolling in the front of the road and I heard another one moving from the back. How we managed to escape when my family was taken hostage was beyond me.<p>

" Mommy!" I shouted again, this was when a member of the group forced my other to walk out and he hit her with the side of his gun.

" They are not going to hurt them," my father said unamused. He sounded completely undeterred in helping his family. " Their primary objective is you."

Frank's POV)

Walking through the forest on foot with my son latched on my back and dangerous soldiers behind me, it was a tough day being a parent.

I have done very bad questionable things in my life. I am a killer, an assassin, and in one point a mercenary. Killing is all I am good for, and it is through killing I am still alive.

When I was a little boy my mother was killed. My father's old boss killed her. My father was working for the mob and the mob sent a hit on him. I hold no grudge for my father and how he

was responsible for the death of my mother. It's like this world-this war-is telling me I can't fight my conscience.

My name is Frank and as far as you know I have no last name. We were trying to stay away from gangs and the mob but they found us and have taken my father, my children, and my wife. I only have my son and a briefcase with illegally modified weapons.

How did I know…those men in black suits with their black guns and sniper rifles were coming? I modified the back of our RV. At first it was just some cheap home car costing one hundred Canadian dollars a week. I installed a door in the back, made of the same metal as the RV and camouflaged to look like the back. I installed a microscope in ever part of the wall to look out, that's when I noticed that black car following us (black car like the mob movies) and the men hiding in the forest. Why was I looking through those windows the whole time we were driving? A good sniper is like a good artist. He always takes his time to make sure the job is done.

But I am just rambling on about me. They were after my son Alex. I am a not a normal human being. My children are normal human beings, so is my wife. Today and even before World War 1 there were signs of children being born with weird ears—ears that stick out of their hair instead of beside them. My grandmother was born with them. My father and I were born without those features. My son Alex, has to wear a hoodie all the time, heals himself as fast as he is injured, and is born with more brain cells than a normal human, is some kind of extra-terrestrial and human, alien from my grandmothers side and human from my father's side.

We have to keep moving, despite how tired I am, away from the men who captured my family, calling themselves the Shift Eyes Paradox. They are catching up to me. They will kill me and keep my son alive to examine his DNA. My life doesn't matter anymore. These men want soldiers like my Alex to win a war against rivals and soldiers.

" Daddy I'm hungry," my poor son said with his stomach roaring like a lion.

" We will have food soon, son," I lied. There was no clear way to find food in this forest.

I don't have to tell you life without food would cease to exist. I managed to find an abandoned where we could rest. I don't know how my son is going to sleep when he is so hungry. It's not like I could just drug him to fall asleep. I couldn't because he is my son…and more importantly I didn't have any.

If we survive the night and make it to a dinner I would order everything there.  
>When I opened the creaky scary doors of the abandoned building I realized this old building use to be a church. It looked like the father of the house was out. Get it, because he's a priest. I don't want to tell you how desolate this building is and how anyone who obvious it was anyone who lived her would've given up hope…I was too tired to care from all that running. Even Alex was tired; the little scamp fell asleep in my arms. And I put Alex on one of the benches using three bibles as covers.<p>

I had two guns and enough ammo for five. They were 8mm guns, black, with small bullets. It could fire twenty bullets before I needed to reload. I was now deciding on whether I should barricade the doors or just sleep on a bench and hope they don't look through here. If I wanted to avoid a killer, I had to think like a killer.

They were not very bright, they used a sniper to take down a car instead of two cars ramming together to stop the van. The sniper must have heard about their coming the last time they stopped. He probably had to wait for at least five hours. He probably feels weak like a coach potato. He is slow, and he can't run carrying his rifle. He either has to leave the rifle behind or disassemble it to carry in a briefcase.

The only options I have is to ignore this uneasy feeling inside me, carry my son the entire way, and make it to the road in…one day, that is of course if I run the entire night. My other option is hope they don't have that many men and fight them with my lousy guns.

" Alex, how are you at…?"

My son was already asleep. He was snoring loud but softly. It was like he was a baby again and I was putting him in my hands. Screw it, I thought looking at my son and walking to the windows. If they want to fight me they can send an armada for all I care.  
>I barricaded the door with one of the benches from the front. The bench was surprisingly light. It must have been all the years it has stayed in here have made it lighter. Either that or I was just stronger from all the stress and adrenaline going through my head. I was sitting beside my son, in the back. If they got through that door I had to be sure he was safe. If all my other plans failed there was a secret underground door under the…nah, I am just kidding. There's no door. Just a tiny hole in the wall big enough for only Alex to squeeze through.<p>

They were here.

" Are you sure he went this way?" I could hear one of them calling from outside.  
>" Yeah I'm sure he's this way," another one retorted. " Let's check that big abandoned house over there."<p>

" I think that's a church," a third voice said.

" Whatever. Let's just check it out."

I looked through the windows. There was no way they could see me. The lights were off inside the church and it was so dark outside I could only see one guy and ten maybe twenty more guys hiding in the shadows. This was going to be harder than I thought.  
>I could take out one guy right now, but he was too far away with the rest of his trigger happy friends. The key to winning this showdown was distance. If I can get them close enough to the building I could kill five of them with just five shots. Patience…patience…<br>I looked one of them in the eyes and he raised his gun out, but before he pressed the trigger…I heard gun shots coming from the back. The gun shots were too weak to go through the stone church, the stupid fools, but it alerted the rest of the soldiers in the shadows to pull out their guns and start shooting.

So much for my take five out in five shots plan.

I put my hands on my head and hide behind one of the benches. If I didn't hide behind this bench I'd probably be dead. Bullets went through the windows and shot through the bench. Through the gun fire and noise I heard my son Alex waking up.

" Mommy…I had a bad dream."

I should have hidden Alex somewhere safer than sleeping on a bench. He jumped off the bench at the loud gun noises. This was my second mistake today. The first mistake was staying here instead of moving to the road.

Some of the men made it to the door, I don't know how many, but they were trying to bolt through the front of the door. I could see their bullets hitting the barricade. I had two choices. I could either help my son now or go out there and kill those soldiers while they are distracted.

Sorry, son, but sometimes when there is a bad decision there's a good decision to go with it.

I jumped through the window landing on my hands and flipping down. I managed to get up with both my guns out. I saw five of them standing there shooting at the doors. First shot went right through of their head. That happened long enough for the remaining four to see me, but I face-shot two more through their heads.

" It's the kids dad killing our men!" One shouted.

" Let's kill the bastard!"

" Alex," I whispered gently. My son was trying to cover his ears and stop the loud noises from hurting his ears. I grabbed my son and turned him around so he was looking at me. " I'm here. You don't have to be afraid. Look at me and tell me you're not afraid."

" I-I'm not afraid!" My son shouted. Through all this noise he had to speak up.  
>" That's good. You can't believe everything you see. There is nothing out there that wants to hurt you. I want you to go out through that small hole only you can fit through and I want you to keep running until you find somewhere safe."<p>

" What about you."

" I have to stay behind. But don't worry, I will find you. You have to go on without me, Alex. Escape."

This was news Alex was not ready to hear. How could I tell him his father was going to stay behind and die? I grew up thinking the craziest thing in the world was having children, and now I was thinking my child who I could never picture in my dreams had to be safe.

Alex was out of the church…farewell my son. I was back in the game. The game where I killed people.

The rest of the men pushed into the door and knocked the bench back. Eight of them were standing behind the bench; I got up and fired ten rounds into them. Six bullets went into six of their heads, and four of them went into parts of their bodies that badly injured them instead of killing them.

This is the battle I won. I reloaded and prepared to finish them off when suddenly I heard more gun shots. This was a combat op. I'm saying that because the people are me were big men, soldiers in fact, wearing bullet proof vest the same way marines wore them, Ak-47's, and helmets with plastic visors to cover their eyes.

They aimed their guns and fired at me. I swerved from the door and covered behind a corner of the church. They were just firing bullets at me and missing me. They may have looked stronger than the last guys, but they sure as hell weren't any smarter. The moment they stopped shooting I got back up and fired towards them. My bullets hit their face and torso, but my bullets just went through the vest and their helmets were made of some kind of metal.

I was going way over my head. I moved to the corner hiding from the soldiers. There was no place I could hide. These soldiers were moving closer to me and I was low on ammo. At least I know my son is safe…

" Dad!"

That stupid son of mine! I told him to run away and he comes back. How am I supposed to protect him when he comes back to me?

" What are you doing?" I yell at my son. He should have jumped ship.

"Why won't you come with me Dad?" Alex asks sadly. " I need you."

" No you don't. You need to get out of here. You are a—" I begin to say, but stop when I realize who I am talking to. " You have to go without me."

" Dad I can't."

I would be much angrier with my son if he wasn't just trying to help me. He was a little hero. I couldn't treat him like a tool I could just fly away, and he couldn't stay with him. It was hard to think over the sound of this gunfire, and then it hit me like lightning in my brain.

" Alex, there's something I want to show you." It wasn't much but I had a mask and hunting knife. I had them in my back. The mask was nothing but thin plastic on a string that looked like Dracula. " Take these." I tried handing him the mask and knife but he didn't want them. " A knife is your friend, the mask will make you stronger. You know in the comics how a mask turns ordinary people like you into heroes well it's your time to be the hero. You have two minutes to decide."

Maybe I wasn't saying the right words to him, but we only have two minutes until this church is raided by marines and we are both dead. What was taking him so long? Just pick up the weapons and get out of here.

I heard the marines reloading, so I turned around and fired bullets blindly towards them. My bullet managed to blow through the face of one soldier. They finished reloading, I ran. My son took my knife and mask when I wasn't looking and was on his way to freedom—I had my right leg shot off by these soldiers.

Lying on the ground and bleeding from my leg being shot off, I cried for the first time in years. This could be, it might be, the end of my journey. Now that I am all by myself and about to die, bleeding to death or about to be shot through the head, I can die the way I wanted…

Shooting at the enemy until I die.

( Alex's POV)

Why did my father do that? Why did he let himself get killed leaving me to run for my life in a forest to find help? We could of escaped together. We could have…both lived. I was running non-stop. He wanted me to live and I was going to live by never stop running.

What became of all this running? How long have I been running? The answer to these questions are I found a small town and I have been running for a whole day, even though I had to stop at that tree to take that nap. Where was I? Why were all the people in this town sitting outside a store drinking alcohol and driving in small red trucks?

" What does North Yankton have for us today?" A teenager laughed walking out of a grocery store holding a plastic bag.

" Not much," his friend laughed. " We are in Canada. And this is the most boring town."  
>North Yankton. I knew I was running for a long time but I didn't think I could run this far. I guess it had something to do with how fast my lungs recovered. I made it to a place with shelter like my father wanted, but what was I going to do now?<br>" Hey kid. Want to come home with me?"

I spotted a man in his forties with a grizzly looking white beard, red bandana, and black sunglasses. He wore a blue vest with a black shirt. His jeans were ripped open. He was barefoot. He was some kind of perverted trying to take me home to molest me. He even touched my hair with his dirty finger.

" Come on. You know you want to come with me—"

My mother told me to never talk to strangers, so I let my father's hunting knife do the talking. The moment he saw my knife his face flushed with fear. He ran, not very fast considering he was out of shape, and now I was alone.

You would think a seven year old boy like me couldn't survive on his own. You might have been right if I was an ordinary seven year old boy, but I am more than a seven year old boy; I am smarter and can survive from hunger and injuries. But if I was going to survive in a dark and dangerous town like this, I had to go somewhere no one would ever look for me. In case the people who hurt my family were still looking for me I needed to go somewhere stinky and hard to find. I needed to find a sewer hatch.  
>I looked in alleyways, behind buildings, and even in the streets for a sewer hatch. I couldn't find any. What I did find were orphans and kids who ran away from home. They were standing beside a steam roller burning from the inside. The kids were standing beside it and holding their hands out towards the flame to keep warm. I was sad for them, but I couldn't help them unless I brought back their families or made living at home better for them.<p>

Just when I was about to leave those orphans and continue my search, a man wearing a hoodie and pulling a cart with balloons and wrapped sandwiches appeared. The kids seemed excited to see him. Most of them were excited to see him and ran to his cart, except for a little girl with a brown and fluffy hat. She stayed in a cardboard box staring at her friends.

" Today is a special day for all you poor starving children who don't have a home," the man said pulling his card to the orphans. " Today I am giving you free balloons and free sandwiches."

They were compliant with the man pulling the cart. They all walked up to the cart and grabbed a sandwich. They started by nibbling the food very slowly to relish its taste. I was hungry too, the man was very nice. Because he was such a nice guy I didn't trust him. Sometimes when things seem too good to be true, they really are. The man was hiding some kind of tool in one hand. It looked like a needle, but in the shape of a lollipop.

" Hey kids, I have some lollipops for you." The kids were happy to have an adult who would give them sweets despite being orphans.

Once again, the little girl with the brown and fluffy hat stayed in the box watching as her friends—hungry and greedy—tried to get their lollipops. It looked like she was considering whether she could trust this man. She really couldn't because he stabbed every one of them with that lollipop-like weapon.

I knew something wrong was going to happen when he gave them free sandwiches and showing up in his bus. This man was a kidnapper! The tip of his metal object was dipped in some kind of drug; everyone was unconscious just from one small poke. He had poked every poor human being in this poor street and was going after me next.  
>Everything was silent after that. The girl was running out of her box. The cart man grinned evilly walking towards me. He was about to poke that metal needle into me, probably put me in a truck taking me to room chained to a steam pipe, and there was nothing I could do about it. I couldn't even run away.<p>

" Come on," I was touched by the girl with the brown fluffy hat. Normally I wouldn't let anyone but my parents touch me, but I am making an exception considering the circumstances. " We have to get away."

The girl was pulling me trying to get away from the cart mover and what he was doing. She head through the road as she continued to pull me away from him. The man walked back to his cart searching for something. He found what he was looking for. It was a cellphone.

" What's the number for 911 again?" He said as if making a joke of it. " That's right; 911," he said tapping his fingers on the numbers. He was manipulating the police. " Hello, police. Is this the police? Who is calling? It doesn't matter who I am. All I am trying to say is there are kids who stole my wallet. They are Caucasian, one is short blond and the other wears a brown fluffy hat. Please find them and return them my wallet."

He's lying. I never stole anything since I got here.

I heard sirens following this girl through crowds of people leaving a movie theater. I hope they weren't the sirens of the police who were looking for us. I mean come on; we couldn't be the only boy and girl wearing warm clothing in this town? It's close to Christmas, it should be cold. The girl made herself handy taking other people's jewelry and wallets. She was a very good pick pocket. The people she stole from didn't even feel her hand reaching in their purses, pockets, and coats.

I was in big trouble. Not only would I get in trouble for stealing a wallet I didn't have but we would get in trouble for having over three wallets in that girl's pants. At least I thought she was keeping the wallets, but when we were out of the crowd she picked up all the money they had and threw the wallets away.

I could hear the sound of sirens of the cops going to arrest me. I quickly grabbed the girl and pulled her to garbage in the alleyway. We jumped in and closed the door. We stood there for minutes until the sound of sirens was gone.

" This place is terrible!" I exclaim getting out of the garbage and throwing fish bones away. " Everyone in this town is after me and everyone just leaves kids out on the street without taking care of them!"

" Welcome to North Yankton," the girl said climbing out of the garbage. " I too don't like this place. The police don't help homeless kids and the orphanage is full of bad kids. I would leave this place, but there's money here that's easy to pick up."

The girl seemed to be a thief. I was wondering why she didn't help her friends back there, I asked, " You knew that man was a kidnapper. You knew he was going to kidnap your friends. Why didn't you warn them?"

" They weren't my friends, kid," she told me. Who is she calling a kid? She's a kid as well. "They are just scapegoats to have around in case the police or people like him are around. I don't need friends and I don't want them."

" Well I'm going."

" Going where?" She asked.

" Back to the man who stole those poor homeless kids. I'm going to kill him with my hunting knife and free those kids."

" You cannot go," she warned. " That man who kidnapped them was some kind of professional. He knew how to get close to us. He could also know you are coming for him and has made a trap to capture you with."

" There's no trap in the world that can keep me," he said. " My dad died trying to save me and I'm going to save these kids. If my daddy was here he would do the same thing."

I know what you're thinking. Pretty big talk for a seven year old, right? Well environment does influence a kid's cognitive growth and I have been all around the world listening to different movies. I turned around walking back to the homeless shelter. Maybe I could find a clue like tire marks or ask someone who might know where a creepy guy pulling a balloon cart could hide.

" Wait," the girl said behind me getting my attention." I know where the guy lives."

" You do?"

" Yes. It was two weeks ago. I heard there was some guy walking in the street and kidnapping children. I decided to investigate these claims by lying low in a homeless shelter until he arrived. I would then hide and wait until he leaves before I followed him. He lives near 124 Mayberry Street."

" Mayberry Street, near 124, got it. And where is Mayberry Street?"

She slapped her hand against her face like I just asked a stupid question. The next thing she did was walk out of the alleyway. " Follow me." I walked behind her. She was slow, maybe because she was trying to step on cracks, so I followed her steps; trying to avoid the cracks so I wouldn't break my mother's back. " I'm taking you to Mayberry Street. After that, you stay away from me."

" Can I at least know your name?"

" It's Amber; Amber Carpenter."

I followed Amber through all the shortcuts she was moving through. The entire time we were moving she didn't look at me or stop to make sure I was okay, which half of the time I wasn't. I fell down a few times and she ignored me.


	2. Chapter 2

**This chapter takes a long time because after I write it I show it to AlexDeGhost. He makes the changes that help make this story good enough to read. It sounds a lot like Batman to me. But it's still my story and I know everyone talks tough on the internet **

( Aero's POV)

Amber changed her mind. She wanted to run instead of walk. I could normally run like a cheetah when I wanted to. Amber was someone I was having difficulty keeping up with her. She was fast, she was sneaky, and she was a thief. Every time she passed by someone with their wallets in back pockets and jewelry in their hands and neck. How no one managed to notice her stealing habits was beyond me. Did she even try not to steal from anyone? These were people who wanted to survive just like her. Why should they have nothing so she could have something?

We reached the building. 124 Mayberry Street. You have got to be kidding me. I expected a big apartment building, or an alleyway, or even a restaurant. As it turned out 124 Mayberry Street was a toy store. The building next to it was a game story and a book store. It looked like a normal toy store. It was one and a half stories big and looked like a duplex. There were two windows with toys inside, a pink toy rabbit and a brown teddy bear. What kind of psycho kidnapper picks this as his base of operation?

" This is as far as I go," Amber said turning around and walking away. " The rest you do on your own."

" That's it!?" I yelled at her. She froze temporarily to hear me speak. " I thought those were your friends he captured. Don't you want to help them?"

" Friends? What friends? I don't have friends. If you want to go inside and help those homeless kids no one cares about be my guest." She was impossible. I make her see reason and she just throws it back in my face.

" Look at me when I'm talking to you!" That got her attention. She was no longer ignoring me like a younger sister. She turned, gritted her teeth but paid me the attention I deserved. " What would've happened if you were the one who was taken? Would they just leave you behind? My daddy told me if you have a problem you do it yourself. Protect yourself and protect everyone who loves you."

" That is the worst speech I ever heard," she said ignoring me again. " Do you know what happened when I asked them if I could stay with them for the night? They pinned me down and they rapped me. They rapped me and hit me for their own amusement. I'm young so I don't ovulate, I can't have babies. The more they rap me the more they want to do it. They make me sick."

" If you hate them so much why did you help me get here?" It seemed like a stupid question to ask. I couldn't keep my mouth shut. She could say something like it was none of my business or she didn't have to tell me but she told me honestly why she wanted to be here.

" Because I'm always watching my enemies. If you can kill him and free them I'll sneak in and take everything."

I was strangely okay with this. I was okay with killing someone in his own home so I can free the kids he kidnapped and she could take whatever she want from that story. She brought me here, that was enough reason to give her anything she wanted, and I was not one to waste time holding an argument with someone who has been raped. I pushed open the door, the sound of a bell attached to a string ringing, I walked into the store and was greeted by a man, not the kidnapper, at the cash register.

" Howdy." This man looked so evil, and I am not just saying that because he is albino ( human with no pigmentation in their skin , white hair and red eyes). He was a fat person who probably had his toes amputated from diabetes or something. He was friendly, but I don't know if he was acting or not. " Have you come to find what you want for Christmas? Your parents are going to buy you anything. However, the market has exploded over the years and you might get less this year."

My plan was to move as close and stealthily to him as possible. He seemed like a friendly guy but he could still be working for or with the man who kidnaps children. I was going to put my hunting knife at his throat and demand he'd take me to the kids or I'd cut him (what, I'm a seven year old with a knife in a toy store, what would you do?) I started by looking at the first aisle, the coloring books and the stickers. I was looking at the different kinds of stickers in one hand and holding a coloring book in another hand. He had a giraffe, a whale, a turtle, a happy worm, and even a picture about a boy with great ideas. Think, Alex, think. This guy believes you are here to pick out something for Christmas. I didn't have paper on me but I have a hamburger wrap from our last trip to Mcdonald's before… no, I don't think about that. I have to make this wrapper look like paper.

" A coloring book? Hmm?" The man chuckled like Santa Clause. Seriously, he is so fat and is entirely white, I'd be surprised if he doesn't play Santa Clause at the mall. " My daughter asked me to bring her one of those. If you get that on Christmas and work on it, I'll ask my daughter to work on it and we'll see who can finish there's faster."

Shut up! It's hard to think about killing you when you act all nice and soft to me! I had to be prepared to kill because I have too not because I want to. Then an idea hit me like a bolt of lightning. Farewell to that dark and stormy night I once called my brain. " Mister," I said as innocently as I could, feigning how strong I really am. " May I please borrow a pen?"

" You certainly can," he said with big strong teeth in his fat mouth. " Come up to the counter and I'll give you the pen."

" No!" I yelled. He was startled but wasn't afraid of me because I was still seven years old. " Can you come over here and give me the pen. I don't want to leave this picture book."

" Alright, if that's what you want." The mammoth man got off his extra-large chair, picked out a pen from his desk and carried it to me. He passed the pen to me, giving me that big smile. " Here you are."

" Thanks," I replied. Now was my chance. I took out my hunting knife in an instant and sliced the marker in half. He trembled by my sharp and bad hunting knife. The pig almost puked his fat out when I pressed my knife in his belly button. " A moment ago a friend of yours came and took five children from their home. Where are they?"

I was not going to kill this giant piece of buffalo meat. Why was I not going to kill this giant piece of buffalo meat? My father told me to only kill people who are very bad. Even if someone is bad I can't kill them or hurt them unless they would do that thing to me. I also didn't want his daughter to become an orphan. I don't know if the daughter bit was a lie or not but he seemed like too much of an honest man to lie.

The door was sticky. It was a new kind of door with two locks. He had to take two keys out of his pocket and stick them in at the same time. He twisted the door once, twice before the door opened.

" They're down there," the buffalo fat man told me. It was dark down there and easy to fall and crack your head open.

" You go first," I demanded apprehensively.

" I did everything you told me to do. Why do I have to go down there?"

" Just because I'm a kid doesn't mean I'm stupid. I know you're the only one who has the keys. I know this door is impossible to break down from the inside and I know once I walk down those steps you will slam the door behind me. Get down those stairs."

I remember my dad showing me those movies where the good guys make demands and the bad guys have to follow them. I had leverage over him. I had a knife and I had it placed where I could kill this man in two to ten seconds. What I hate is when the bad guy has the leverage because you know they are going to make the good guy do things he doesn't want to do.

The cashier was a quick-learner. He understood the situation he was in and did everything I told him, hell, he would even write a book if I told him to or cut off his own fingers if I made him do it. Right now he was walking in the dark basement holding a candle from the store. It was one of those little birthday candles. I think birthdays are stupid. I hated the theme song " Happy Birthday to You". If anything it's the anniversary of when you were born, so they should sing anniversary songs.

That's just my opinion. When it's my birthday I'm going to eat cake. And I don't care where that cake came from or if I had to steal it just to eat cake.

We walked down downwards through eerie stairs and eerie darkness. What did I find when we reached the bottom? I found the kids. There were twenty or thirty of them in chains on the walls. They looked malnourished and weak. They kept making loud hunger sounds. Some of them were infected with lice. One of them was dead. His neck was broken like someone broke it.

" What happened to him?" I said pointing at the teenager who was dead.

" He wouldn't stop screaming," he told me, sounding like some ghoul who eats people. " The master likes to work in silence. He couldn't think when this one keeps yelling to get out, walked down here and broke his neck. He died quick and painless."

" How do I free the other kids?"

At first he didn't say anything, just pointed at one of the kids. Yes, I know that kid is suffering. Why don't you stop pointing and help me? Suddenly it hit me. He wasn't pointing at the kid. He was pointing at an axe handing beside the kid. I was surprised no one could grab it. I couldn't grab it. I'm much too tiny to grab something that high.

I may be small and young but I had an idea on how to get that axe. I just needed a little help from a very fat man.

(Amber's POV)

I was trekking through the jagged alleyway of glass and running away from the toy store. I had some closure with leaving the toy store. I believed in that kid. I believed the boy could kill the men inside. I no longer had the fear of being kidnapped ever again.

This town was like cancer. Everyone was feeding off the other. In the short time I've lived in this town, a life lesson is you cannot trust anyone in this town, especially the ones who try to be nice to you. The world isn't about making friends or having fun. It's about surviving by being stronger than these urchins.

It's been a long time since I found someone to care for me. I was born with a high primitive brain function, the animal side. It helps me run fast, push harder, and claw my way through people's eyes. In a way I'm like a cat. People often treat me like a stray cat. It's strange because my best friends are dogs. They were strays just like me. There was Roger a Basset Hound. He is faster than most Basset Hound's and is mean to everyone who tries to pet him, except me. And there's Wolf. Wolf is a Bull Terrier. Believe it or not those dogs are friends and my friends.

My friends greeted me the moment I stepped through the door. They were waiting for their next meal. Sorry but I can't save you today. I already gave them food today with the money from the three people I stole them from. They just had to make do with the food left in the bag, which was almost to the top. Now I know why they are so jumpy today. It's because I didn't buy any bones for them. Still they jumped to the point it looked like they wanted a piece of my ear, but it felt more like licking than actual biting.

"Down boys!" I laughed as they tickled my ear. "Sit down. It's time to eat."

Well not really. They wouldn't be eating dog food today. What they would be eating was rubber chew toys . I took these from people who owned dogs and didn't treat them as friends unlike me who never owns any living being and treat them as my best friends. I threw them their rubber chew toys and they caught them in their mouths.

Today was a good day. I made a lot of quick money and met a really cute boy. What, he was cute. He had a cute face and nice hair. I'm a little too old for him and he probably doesn't even know what cute is. I almost double-crossed him. I almost took him to that guy taking kids for money or another guy I knew who would take kids for money. It was only that I found him cute is why I let him die his own way. What was he doing out so late anyways? Wasn't it a school night?

" So what did you two do today? Wolf, Roger, too tired?" Normally when I talk to them they come running up to me and lick my arm. Today they seemed very quiet…that's because they couldn't talk even if they wanted to. Someone put muzzles on their mouths when they were speaking. Bastard.

" You sure left the toy store early," a voice echoed through the walls of my home. How could I not hear him coming? Where the hell was he and how did he sneak in so fast? If he hurt my dogs I'll kill him. " Did we not have your favorite doll on sale?"

The first thing I did was check Wolf and Roger to see if they were harmed in any way. If they were okay; he could live. I don't like people touching my stuff. If I see so much as a single drop of blood on their fur I'll kill him. Maybe I'll kill him anyways because it's my home and he's trespassing.

Blood, no. Angry, Wolf and Roger were barking like Rottweiler's about to rip them through their jugulars. That's something I would want to see but not today. I pet their necks and kissed their noses until they licked my face. They looked calm at least until they heard glass from the next room break.

" Dammit! Stupid bitch can't clean up shit!"

" Sick'em," I said.

They barked two times before they followed my orders and ran to the next room. I keep weapons in this abandoned house just in case someone tries to break in. The most effective weapon I had was a metal bat made of aluminum I took from a little boy's house. I'll make this fast.

I ran into the next room to break his neck. I made it to the opening before seeing my dogs unconscious. Oh, he was so dead. I'll break his neck and cut out his skin and put it on someone else. If they weren't tranquilized I might have done it too. Where was he?

" Boo! I'm behind you!" I foolishly turned around and struck my bat like a samurai sword. He wasn't there. " You're getting colder, darling."

" I will kill you!" I said before losing my temper and swinging my bat everywhere. I didn't hit anything. He was hiding too well. " You bitch, show yourself!"

It was then I felt something go through my leg. It made me cry in pain because it hurt so much. Who shot me? Forget killing him, I'd be lucky to make it out of here alive. I saw him for who he really was. That thief, that monster, that crazy joker, he was here and he was pointing a gun at me while holding uniform.

" Can you give me a second, I need to change," laughing before taking out a black beanie bag with a black strap. " No peeking."

Everything went black when this joker hit me.

(Aero's POV)

One unconscious cashier, a room full of freed children, and still no word of the kidnapper. Either he knew I was coming or there's more than one toy store that kidnaps kids off the streets.

" You're all free," I said handing out flashlights that could help them back up the creepy dark stairs. "Please take any toy you want upstairs. But no one is taking money from the cash register."

" This man owes us everything in this store!" A black kid with words written on his bald head exclaims. I think those words were in French. I'm not that fluent. " Who cares if we take money? It will justify for all the bad things he's done. Who made you in charge of us anyways?"

" You did. After saving your life that makes me the hero. But you can call me boss or Big Alex as it seems fit."

" You sure talk big, imp. How old are you?"

" I'm seven."

" Seven? No wonder your voice is so high. We don't need help from a seven year old who's never even seen the inside of a garbage can, much less lived in one."

" You just leave, I have unsettled business with him." I was referring to the cashier I beat. I back-flipped, crushed him with my foot and jumped high enough to cut the first chain.

Unfortunately, it was this guy I freed first. " And don't steal any money on your way out."

" Yes, little brother."

" Do not call me that!"

He gave me the finger before he gave me the slip. Stupid teenager, my dad warned me when kids turned into teenagers they become awful. He said once they are teenagers you want to kill them but you can't because then there wouldn't be any adults and there wouldn't be any more kids. Dad said there's something that makes us kids for our whole lives whether it's burning things, playing games, or teasing.

In order to talk to this man I had to wake him up first. The first thing I did was put my axe down, didn't want to cut his foot off otherwise he would die before he talked. I needed something a kid like me could pick up and could use. The only thing I could think of was the hunting knife my father gave me. But stabbing was something I'd rather not do. I'd rather torment him and crush him like the spider he is.

" Speak!" I shouted kicking the cashier. He made a sound like an old goat. Kicking wasn't as fun as an axe but it would have to do. I climbed on his back and jumped on him again and again. His legs twitched every time I stepped on him. " Who is the guy that's kidnapping kids off the streets? What does he want?"

I don't think he can hear me. The only sound he made was crying and blubbering. His voice almost made me want to stop kicking him, but whatever he was feeling couldn't be worse than the pain those orphans felt being stuck in here for days without food or water. I kicked him again, again, again, again, and again until he talked.

" Alright!" He cried on the cold wet ground. " I'm the caretaker. I feed the kids and give them water, and if things go wrong I'm supposed to kill them. I don't even own this story, he does."

" Who is he? What is his name?" He was silent again. I was getting tired of him being difficult. I raised my legs and prepared to kick him again.

" Wait! Mer—" I heard beeping sounds ringing from the back of his head. It was some kind of device installed inside this guy's head. I wasn't sure why it was making those sounds, but it sound like a bomb. " Shit!"

His head grew bigger like a cavity, like a balloon with too much air, his head exploded. It was so loud I jumped and panicked. Real explosions were different were different than the one's in moves. It was louder and shrapnel got in my arm. I was hurt and he was a bloody, disgusting, dead albino in a dark basement.

" Winner winner chicken dinner!" A musical voice said in the dark basement. I didn't know where it came from, but it sounded like a voice from a recorder. " Happy birthday! Merry Christmas! Happy Halloween! They all sound like very good things to say to congratulate someone who did something right for a change. You took down a three hundred pound pig stuffed with honey and, what did I have for breakfast: a spicy pizza slice. But he takes the whole pizza while I only eat a slice. He has a case of a badly formed thyroid that makes him really tired. While he was sleeping I put a bomb that can go off remotely."

" He put an explosion device in his own friends neck? Does human life mean nothing to him?"

I have to be fifty feet near him for the explosion to go off. I do love my doors and I do love it when someone does my dirty work for me. It makes everything easier. Sad to say I'll be coming after you next. I hope you brought some condoms because I'm giving you some tainted love. I think I'll carve my knife where you're most sensitive. Pleasant dreams."

Shit! Shit, shit, shit, shit! This guy was more dangerous than I could imagine. I saved the kids now I could just get out of here. I know ran. I ran up the stairs, I ran into the store, and I ran out of the store. I didn't expect this town to be full of terrorists, bombs and machine guns. There's nothing I wanted more to get out of here. There's nothing in this town for me.

" I'm not accustomed to little boys sneaking into my home and taking my stuff. I had to race down here to stop you."

I shuddered. It was him, the kidnapper and the murderer. He was standing right behind me. And he was just as big and creepy as earlier. He was holding someone in his hand. It was Amber! He was holding Amber with one hand. She was drugged which was why she was barely breathing and didn't put up a fight.

" Let her go, Mer!"

" Mer?" He laughed. " Is that what he called me, Mer? Imbecile! I would kill him for his stupidity. My name is Merlyn. That's M for Monster. E for Evil. R for Ruin. L for Lethal. Y for Yolanda. And N for Natural Disaster. You've been the good soldier. You've done everything to help these people and I respect that, but when you ruin my plans that's when I will burn you into ashes."

I took out my father's knife and charged towards that man. It was a stupid idea but I would do anything to help a friend like Amber. Fast with his feet he raised his leg and released a tiny pistol out of his shoe. He lowered his gun and fired. I was glad the bullet was only a flesh wound. He spin his gun around and laughed.

" Best gun ever. Wouldn't you agree?" I was in too much pain to talk. Merlyn spin his gun around and pointed it at my head. " Bang. Just kidding."

I got up much to his surprise. It much be my quick healing that was helping me still function. I aimed for the right side of his belly so he would bleed to death. I got close, but he grabbed my arm and pulled it back to dislocate it. He was trying to behind my arm and stab my neck with my father's knife. I had to let go…Merlyn stomped on my foot.

" Thanks again for killing my man, sweetie. I didn't give you a reward." I wasn't strong like him. I'm too young and weak. He lift me up and smiled. He smiled at me like I was his lover. " I could make you my baby. Raise you and make you help me with my goals. Nah, I'm just going to let you live so you can become something better. You're going to be amazing."

Numb arm, no knife, and having my life saved by this creep…my father would be disappointed in me.


	3. Chapter 3

( Alex POV)

I was almost done for the night. Sometime after twelve a.m. I dropped Amber in the front door of what I thought was the hospital. There was a sign for a doctor but it looked like someone's house and it had a sliding door. I knocked on the door; a man opened the sliding door to look at us. He was a middle aged man, looked like my father if his face was a frown and he had a bald head and glasses. This man wore a brown sweater with a white reindeer on it (a little too early for Christmas) and wore blue jeans.

" Kid, do you have any idea what time it is?" The man said. He seemed to be going through a REM (rapid eye moving) cycle I interrupted. " My clinic is closed. Go home."

" Please, you have to help me," I begged hoping my cute child eyes could convince him to let me inside. " My friend is injured and she needs medical attention."

" What happened?" He asked me. " She looks like she hasn't eaten in days. And she looks pale."

" She's my sister," I lied quickly trying to convince him we needed help. " We lost our parents and haven't eaten in days. Can you please help us?"

" No."

" But you're a doctor—"

" I am a doctor. Doctors do not work for free. If you want our help you have to pay for it. Without money I cannot work. You and your sister leave."

" Please!" I stopped the doctor from closing the door on me. I grabbed his collar and cried over his shirt. " Please, please, please!"  
>" Alright, you can come on in," he finally said.<p>

No adult can ignore the suffering of a young child. Ironically, no one cares if a little boy or girl dies before their first birthday. From those dilapidated buildings that look like they came from San Francisco I walked into this doctor's house. His house looked like it needed a cleaning lady. There were papers all over the floors. He had so many books, he must be very smart. The only picture of someone else was a little blond boy.

" Take her clothes off," the man said.

" What?" I asked.

" I need to look at her entire body to make sure she isn't infected. This isn't something romantic, it's a routine checkup."

" No."

" You asked for my help and I'm giving it to you. I need to see all her body to do the checkup."

" I'm not looking."

He ripped Amber's clothes off. He was enticed by her underage body, a prick as well as a doctor. I believed he could still heal Amber, but I didn't want any part in how he was treating her, so I escaped into the next room.

I opened a window. It was freezing cold outside. It wasn't the weather I remembered. Sure it was cold, but I remember feeling very toasty outside. All that heat could have been just been more hobos using trash bins for their fires. The reason I opened the window was to take a smoke. I know what some of you think, I am too young to be smoking and it will destroy my lungs one day, but I find that are taking a smoke my lungs feel better.

Can this doctor really help Amber? Will she have any brain damage when she wakes up? Why do I care so much about her? She has been nothing but mean to me since the day I met her. She ran away when her friends were taken away. Dad told me it was better for a kid to be a coward than a hero, but I think anyone can be a hero no matter how small.

" Who do you work for?!" A voice yelled in the other room. I recognized that voice immediately as Amber's.

I left the window startled by that loud noise and ran as fast as I could to see what the commotion was about. When I got there I saw Amber, who was fully awake and standing up, choking the doctor. She was fully clothed by the way so the doctor didn't do anything bad yet. But less on that and more as to why she was choking the doctor!

" I don't work for anyone!" The doctor cried with Amber still choking him.

Amber head-butted the doctor with her strong head. Blood spattered out his nose and on Amber's forehead. She continued to head-butt him holding his neck with her arm. She kept head-butting him even when he fell down and his facial bones looked broken. I tried to stop her...

" If you come any closer...I'll carry you both to hell!" She shouted sounding like a completely different person.

What happened to the girl I met at the homeless kid sight? Sure that girl was a thief who only carried about herself but she wasn't a murderer like this one. I hardly recognized Amber when she was done...his face red from his insides showing and not a hint of skin left...looked at me licking her hands and wiping the blood off like sugar.

" What are you standing around for? You're burning daylight."

" It's still dark out," I said, not knowing why I said it to begin with.

" Hmf. I guess we'll have to work in moonlight."

" On what?"

" Taking all the medicine in this old man's home, his money, and anything we can pawn than we'll burn down this home."

Amber was pushing me around. She was pushing me around like one of her dolls. I couldn't take anymore of it. I ran at her and punched that selfish, no feelings, heartless girl in her face. I punched her so hard she fell back and fell into that doctor's table. I instantly wanted to apologize. I felt terrible, but it didn't make me feel good when she got close to me and punched me in my face. She was surprisingly strong despite her petite stature.

We started fighting like boxers. I got close to punch her and she punched me. It was wrong and it was totally uncalled for, but it felt surprisingly good when I hit her. Her face was strong like iron. It explains why when she did that head-butt it hurt the doctor so much. I wasn't exactly thrilled about hitting a girl. She was poor and not well...why did I hit her.

" Stop!" I yelled. I stopped fighting but she roundhouse me so hard I felt like my gums were bleeding into my tooth. She looked like she wanted to hit me again, but I flinched. " We have to stop fighting. Stealing is going to get us arrested."

" Look around you!" She yelled. " We are already going to prison!"

" Maybe we won't. Think about it. This doctor is obviously out cold. He'll wake up and mistake all this as a bad hangover. But if we steal anything he'll call the cops on us and they'll dust our prints. We could be arrested."

" We are children. They won't arrest us. They'll send us to an orphanage because we don't have any parents."

" We don't have to go to an orphanage. If we stay together and don't steal anything there's a chance we can get out of here unharmed. I just want you to know partnering with you is something I normally would not do."

" You're not exactly my first choice for a homeless buddy but sure we can stay together."

(Amber's) POV

This kid thinks I was the damsel in distress. He thinks that lunatic got me and I was going to die without his help. He has no idea what really happened in that fight. I saw him try to save me, and like the anticlimactic reality, I saw him get shot in the chest. That bullet should have killed him. I saw lots of orphans get shot and none of them survive a bullet like that.

After that lunatic told the kid he was going to spare his life he stabbed him with his knife. Right through his shoulder. It may have been the fear that made him miss the perfect strike.

That lunatic is still alive and will probably not be forgiving about what this kid has done.

Like it or not I was stuck with him. He already found me once who says he won't find me again. Look at him. He's like a scared little kid who wants to find his mommy. It's so hard to leave him alone. You just want to carry him like a baby and tickle him. I remember how he uses a knife as his weapon. As long as I stay far away from him he can't stab me with that knife.

" Where are we going?" He asked when we passed a building with the sign 'closed' over the door.

" Home," I replied. That's what I said, but I didn't know if I still had a home. I know I have dogs, I don't know if they are still alive, but if they are still alive they're probably wondering where their buddy is.

" Amber," he said with a choked voice. " That guy just ate a moldy sandwich! We are not going to eat that, are we?"

" Luckily for you that will never happen. I know all the places where we can good grub."

I didn't tell him I was stealing from restaurants. I'll tell him I bought them with my own money, which I won't. If he finds out about what I'm doing I'll say I took them from terrible people and I felt bad afterwards. He's a kid. Kid's fall for every sob story they hear. He even thinks I'm the same age as him. I'm nine and he's seven. I'm faster than him and wiser than him; and the police can't  
>even catch me.<p>

Here we were, the rundown building no one lives in but me. I had to go into the room first without Alex. No I wasn't making him sleep outside the door. Someone had to talk to Roger and Wolf to make sure they know Alex isn't a threat. After that joker showed up, and the multitudes of people who want me dead I wouldn't be surprised if a seven year old made them nervous. The room boomed with dog barks.

" Bark! Bark!"

Wolf and Roger ran towards me ready to bite my face off my jaw, but realized it was me. They stopped barking and started licking me. Poor poaches. They must have been worried.

" I'm okay," I laughed knowing they wouldn't stop licking me until I gave them a treat. " Here's your treats." I ran out of dog treats to give them, and so the only thing I could give them was a Roulex I stole from that doctor. It looked like it was made of real gold...but anything that costs $15.99 couldn't be made of actual gold. The funny thing is even though it was cheap I would have kept it anyways.

" You can come right in now." Alex slowly pushed open the door. The fool. Everyone knows dogs can react to even the slightest sound—know when a person sneaks in through the door—and he was giving Wolf and Roger time to stop chewing.

" Roger, no!" I shouted pointing my finger at him.

Wolf never listened to me the same way as Roger. I had to put two hands on him and squeeze his neck. That always calmed him down. Alex entered with no problems from my dogs.

" Welcome to my paradise."

He didn't think my home was a paradise. And who could blame him? This was absolutely and positively the worst place to live. I mean that from experience. I've lived in toilet stalls, behind dumpsters, in the sewers, and in pet stores but this was the worse one of them all. Do I transition to another home. I probably would if Roger and Wolf didn't like to live here.

" It's nice," Alex aid. He didn't sound like it was B.S. " I never stayed in a home before. I always slept in an RV."

" Well this is no RV. There's no couch that turns into a bed, no friendly country people outside, and there's absolutely no moving. This building is over dealer's and pimps. I advise you don't use the toilet here."

" Why?" I forgot to tell him not to step in one bathroom. I stopped him before he got too close.

" The last person who lived here died in the bathroom...on his toilet."

Have I told him enough of things? Have I told him too many? I didn't tell him anything about Wolf and Roger and how he would never be able to warm up to them.

" There's no futons. Half of the food in the fridge have rat poison, and if you hear voices ignore them. The police will show up in that room at twelve. Get some sleep."

( Alex POV)

Sad to say this was the nicest place I ever slept in. It felt like I was staying in a real home and not an RV park. But I badly wanted to smoke. I needed to discard my filthy habit to be a saint in front of Amber. What she doesn't know is the younger you are when you try an addictive substance the higher the addiction will be. If it was alcohol it could even kill me. Now I'm just rambling on. Am sure I have time to go into the roof and take a quick smoke.

Ask me how Amber was sleeping? Think of it this way. She has no bed or futons but isn't sleeping on the floor. She was sleeping on five baseball bats made of metal and snoring because of a septum that needed surgery. Her dog's Wolf and Roger, the names she called them, were sleeping together. Wolf on top of Roger like he was his bed. I tried walking out slow and quiet trying not to make any sound. If you thought that worked, you were wrong. I cut my foot on something sharp. The blood trickled slightly from my foot because my white blood cells became sticky and healed the cut. Something like this would take hours to heal, but it healed in ten seconds. It was amazing and scary.

I went outside to the roof. I was warm and hot from the cigarette in my mouth. It was surprisingly nice out here. Every time I think of night I think of waiting outside your door in the freezing cold. It kind of reminds me of the night I lost my father running through the woods. This is what's been happening: I find a new town, run away from being kidnapped, accidentally kill a fat albino, run into a murdering psychopath, an am now living with someone who doesn't care about me.

" What are you doing up here?" I was discovered! Amber was on the roof and staring at me smoking. She must be angry. " I'm not angry with you," she said as if she could read my mind. " I'm jut asking what you are doing up here."

" I'm just cooling my head. Also, it's a great place to think."

" You can't sleep at night, can you? What kind of nocturnal animal are you trying to be?"

" I wouldn't call myself that? I just find it hard to sleep knowing tomorrow someone might shot me again. I should be in the hospital."

" You can forget about trying to find treatment in the hospital. All the doctors here would rather play golf than help their patients. The police would rather take bribes than stop any dirt bag on the streets. The firefighters will steal your insurance instead of saving your house."

" Maybe there's one good person in this city who will stop this evil and make a good example of this city."

" What do you think I'm doing for this city? I'm taking extra steps to make sure those undeserving, greedy men keep what they need but give to the people who need more. I'm not Robin Hood. I keep twenty percent of the things I steal."

" Do you have family or friends?"

" If you mean family; bunch of uncaring and greedy adults who only marry for money and keep you for the child support, and friends; unhygienic ninety-nine percenter's who hit you for what you have, then yeah, I have those."

" Why do you keep doing that?"

" Doing what?"

" Make everything I say a depressing matter. I want you to say something nice to me."

" I'm going to have to say...no. Since we are both up, and there's only three jobs here that allow seen and nine year olds to have jobs, we will take turns going to sleep."

Every time she said something I wanted to cry. Sometimes there was a particular way to speak to someone.

What could go wrong with following a girl around town trying to find money? A lot of things can happen. She can tell you asking people for money wouldn't work because no one gives kids money. They pay for their meals and toys that's all. Remember the stories where kids are orphans, they lost their parents, and they take you in making you feel like you have a home there? Besides how I want to watch those movies again it would be nice for it to really happen.

We were by the sea. No one was looking at us. Amber was using gloves to go through the fish guts and bird crap to find some money.

" How are we suppose to find any money here?" I asked holding a plastic bag with fish chum on it.

" We wash them and we use a spatula to rub off all the mold. Now get back to searching."

For two long hungry isolated hours we looked for money. All we found was ten dollars. You don't want to know what disgusting things I had touch so I could get this money. In the end it was only enough to buy two cups of coffee.

" Aren't you a little young to be alone?" The woman at the counter asked Amber.

" Aren't you a little old to still be working here?"

Amber was so mean to that lady that she cried and ran out of the store. I would be mortified if I said I didn't know how she felt. We were kicked out of that coffee shop and had to go to a new one. My dad said I am too young for coffee. He says coffee is a drug that will keep me up all night and can have terrible effects on my body. Staying up all night without any kind of sleep was one side effect he never wanted me to have.

Amber worked for money and now she was conning for it. There were cars rushing everywhere in the road. One care almost rammed into another car if that car didn't have his left side open to pull away, otherwise the car would kill him. Amber's plan was for me to walk when the light turns green but fake some kind of unexpected incident like a heart attack or something. The plan was for me to stay in the street faking an accident until a car stopped to check on me. They would open their doors, leaving them unlock so Amber could sneak in and steal all their valuables. I did what she said and it was absolutely evil. We were just robbing poor working adults who were on their way to feed their families. My acting was bad but I followed everything she said until the police took us in.

" A little young to be scamming people on the road, aren't we?" The investigator said looking at us like common criminals.

" How old are you?" Amber said turning a bad situation into a worse situation. " Too young to dress up as a police officer. Don't you have an essay to finish?"

" This is a warning. The next time we catch you stealing, you're going to spend Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years with other troubled kids like you."

All day. We spent ten hours outside doing the things homeless people did for money. We looked in trash cans, waited at AMV's for people to drop money, clothes stores looking for money, and even looked in the cracks on side walks for money. At the end of the day all we had was eleven-fifty. I say this whole day was long, hard, and made me miss being in that RV with my family. Amber wasn't done with me. She bought two hot dogs and dragged me to the roof of our hotel. We sat down on the ledge watching the sun still up and seagulls who flew to this town by mistake flying away.

" I love this town," she said taking a bite of her hot dog. " We have a love and hate relationship. I love the beauty of this town in the morning and I hate the ugliness of it at night. I can get a disease while walking in this town at night. It's always cold winds and hot showers. It is searing my teeth out with its bitterness."

" Yeah. It sounds like an awful place to be born in," I said. " You must hate being born here like the rest of these people."

" Speak for yourself. I wasn't born in this town. I escaped here. I was born in New York City."

" Really?"

" What, I don't speak with a one hundred percent American accent?"

" It's not that. I hope you can forgive me for saying that."

" Too late for that."

" But how did you end up here."

" There's a train in this town believe it or not. People leave money around and no one asks why a kid wants to take a train; they are longer than planes and more expensive. The only things people like about them are the refreshments. I had the advantage. People don't think I'm smart enough to survive, but I never needed help."

" Do you have any idea what you've done?"

" Let's see...I became a runaway. Running is a matter of speaking. I'm more like a rider. Here's one life lesson, marriage doesn't always mean love. As I told you my mother only married my father because he was rich. Mother gave him sex to keep his mind away from her nefarious scheme. I was born as part of her plan for extra money. After my dad lost the divorce case and I was to never see him again I spent my five years to seven years being raised by my awful mother and her four idiot brothers. There was my uncle Frank who was a con artist. My Uncle Jacob who told me the best meat is alligator meat and we went to the swamp every day to kill one. My uncle Furry..."

" Wait, wait, wait, wait. You have a uncle named Furry?"

" Yeah, why?"

" Doesn't that come off as a little, I don't know, weird?"

" Yes. People liked to call Furry Micro because of a very small scar on his right hand you'd have to be under a microscope to see. He got it in his office. He's a con man too and he may or may not be a gangster. And there's my Uncle George...he's responsible for all my nightmares. My four uncles made me feel like I have the worse life even though we are rich. It seems money can't help my problems. However my mom never had trouble taking money from my hard working father. I finally escaped from prison..."

" Prison?"

" My house. I escaped from prison and went to my father's house. He moved on with another family. It was bye-bye Amber, don't bother giving me a cookie. You...You Alex...Are going to be with me forever and ever. And that is so sad I wish I drown myself in the Pierre."

" Amber, it's good to talk to you. But you didn't get to hear about my story. I don't know what I am. Grandpa calls me a Diclonius. He said the reason they didn't kill me at birth was my ears were normal. Often my family liked to travel. We lived in an RV. I've been around most of America and Japan. I have brothers and my grandpa following me with my mom and dad. But my family was kidnapped and I think my dad is dead. You know, I thought he would be the last one to get kidnaped. Almost, but it was me who was kidnapped. I have never stolen anything in my life until I came to this town. You're turning me into some kind of kleptomaniac. I can't go t the police and I don't have anywhere to run. It feels like I'm a mole stuck in the ground. I also have this tick where I can't speak very loud. What should I do?"

" Go to a therapist and tell them that because I don't care. You're just another one of my dogs I keep around."

Amber was never going to change. She made me miss being in the toy store with those other kids more and more. I didn't see those kids anymore. I guess the police finally helped them get to an orphanage. Lucky.

( No One's POV)

In the biggest hotel in this town there was an underground lab where chemicals were kept in barrels, goons with guns walked around, and a person who really gave the meaning to "mad scientist" worked. He had an egg shaped bald head with hair everywhere but the spike in his head. He wore small glasses and had two very buck teeth a beaver would be envious of. He wore a white lab coat with a black tie. And he wore plastic red gloves over his hands. He was in a control room which was a glass tube around his body with a vinyl record playing his favorite music.

We travel through the bloodstream.

It's possible we are an egg

We go hunting for your blood

We ate a dead face

Bring back the...

The professor was working on an experiment. The first test he nailed one hundred fish on the wall outside his glass case. In just a few moments all those fishes would turn into fish guts.

" A Diclonius is born with four invisible arms. More show up if that Diclonius has been experimented on. We all know the Diclonius grow up to be a violent race, but do people possess a pheromone that controls their desire to kill?"

The professor pressed a red button on his control panel. In just a moment the doors where the fish were pinned to the wall opened and someone walked out. She was naked, one black eye, cuts over her body, and one bump over her head. Her hair was dark pink and covered her red eyes that looked crimson and fell to her throat. She looked human, but one ear on her right side looked like an elf-esque gray tumor.


	4. Chapter 4

(Frank's POV)

Fuck! I gotta get outa here and that diclonious is about to kill me. Fuck! Shit! I finally untied the rope tied on my arms. Dumb son's of bitch didn't know how to tie. I took out my gun out and tried shooting her but the mag is completely empty.

" You would think they'd just take my gun away instead of giving me an empty gun!" I wanted to throw the gun but if I made it out of here alive I was going to fill it with more ammo.

Shit. I don't know how I'm getting out of this one. I've been in some sticky situations. Had to fight in a huge military battle. Had to choose weather to kill my friend or not, was imprisoned and compromised but this...this just sucks.

The Diclonius looked at me with killing eyes. I felt something touch me. they felt like hands. Were those her invisible arms? I couldn't feel them after a few seconds. Her walk is like a tiny trickle towards me.

' Here Vector's are not ripping him apart,' the professor thought seeing the Diclonius walking and I frozen like a statue. 'She's in range to just pull him apart but she hasn't done that.'

The Diclonius doesn't scare me. They may have taken my bullets but I felt a knife under my foot. It may be a long shot but I was going out with a fight. But the moment I took out the knife the Diclonius kissed me. She. Kissed. Me!

"It works," the professor's grimace turned into enlightenment. His research was finally finished. Waiting for the Diclonius to finish her kiss, the professor turned on his diary recorder. " This is professor Yarbrough with very exciting news. After raising the subject Diclonius to be a beast who would tear people apart I have proven there are people that create pheromones for them. I feel like a little boy who is going to the carnival and taking his first turn on the Ferris Wheel."

The Diclonius stopped kissing me and hugged me after. But long cables wrap around her arms and pull her away. I was left there wondering 'What the fuck just happened?'

" Hello Frank."

I turned around and saw someone who looked like a doctor or something.

" I wish our first encounter could be a little more pleasant, but I had to be sure that you were the right man for the job. While you're still angry at me I will explain everything to you that you already understand and things you don't understand. First, that girl was a Diclonius. What are Diclonius...you already know that. Some say they are the species that will replace us as the dominant species and we will be extinct. Their real purpose is a mystery to me. They have invisible long hands that can rip you apart like chicken legs. We call them Vector's. That's information you already know...but I have one more thing to say. When you touch a Diclonius their chromosomes get stuck in your X and Y chromosomes making your next off springs a Diclonius. But here's something that might interest you. Diclonius can only be female. They can detect one another. You see there has only been one case of a queen Diclonius. We're trying to copy her genetic DNA. But we don't have enough Diclonius to work with. That's why we want you to impregnate all of our Diclonius."

" You're the stupidest man I've ever met," I said with disgust coming from his lips. " Here's your first mistake: if Diclonius are such vicious beings why keep them around? I'm sure you don't think you can control them. Second: No man would ever be stupid enough to sleep with one of them. The moment they sleep with them the Diclonius will most likely just kill them. Whoever you are I want a golden ticket that says I can leave. I want to return to my wife, my children, my father, and I want to get out of here."

The doctor took out a camera. It showed my family. Their alive! I looked at the professor with anger. That monster better not even touch them. I was angry and felt fear A fear and anger he hasn't felt since being in the army.

" Do you know what the funny thing is? In order to save your family you have to start a new one. I bet the misses won't be happy when I tell her that. The good news is we will keep your family alive, give them proper education, and let you sleep in the same room as them."

" What's the bad news?" Fuck this prick.

" You are going to be staying here...until your Diclonius children are grown up."

( Alex's POV)

I'm just walking around town looking for goddamn money while Amber stays at our place. Amber...i might have feelings for her. Its pretty weird but I like her. What she's trying to do is good...even though she's not very nice and I know she has a dark side in her but i do know she has a good side too. I really care for her and I'm not gonna let her turn into a big criminal/killer with no heart. I saw a few trash cans...

"...uuggh...now for the nasty part" I said walking towards the cans. This was so dirty I always have to go in some random shop just to wash my hands...three times! Still I'm actually kinda happy here. Much better then living in a RV without anyone but my family always traveling. I still missed my family a lot though...

Now that's done i should keep looking. While I was walking down an alley. I might have walked into the wrong one because a door to a store opened and someone pulled me inside. Three big men were around me under a lamp.

" Where is your father Frank?" one of the men said. How the hell did he know my father's name?!

" W-what?" i responded. These must be the same guys who took my family! Where are they!?

" Something happened to you in that forest. You wouldn't have left your father if he didn't tell you where he was going, so where is he?"

" I don't know what you're talking about!"

This big bald man with the sweaty armpits tries to punch me right in the face. Before we could do so a professor showed up.

" You fools," The professor said. " I didn't ask where his father ran off too. I wanted to know one thing." The creepy man took off my hat for whatever reason. " This boy doesn't have them. But he has some diclonious DNA in him. It's true. Only the females can be born with horns. Then we'll kill all the males the Diclonius give birth to."

" Who the hell you?!" Who the hell was this doctor thing and where the hell was my family!?

" I am the person who is going to take you back to your daddy. You can all live happily inside our facilities room." The doctor said in a friendly voice.

He's not gonna be so nice when i'm done with him. i'll deal with him like that albino at the store!

" Where is my dad-" Before i could finish there was a knock on the door.

" Who's there?" one of the men asked

" Girl Scouts selling cookies."

he looked at professor confused. " What kind of stupid bitch sells girl scout cookies here?"

" Just let them in." The professor said.

He opened the door. Two little girls were wearing girl scout uniforms with the sign Trap on it. What the hell...then the crazy psycho Merlyn came out and shoots one of the men. The other 2 guys got their guns and the professor grabbed me and was taking me hostage. Before the tried to shoot Merlyn he uses a strange type of bomb that burns their guns. He shot all 3 of them in the head afterwards. How his gun didn't burn is a mystery.

" Are you glad you didn't kill me?" Merlyn said.

"...What the hell do you want." I asked, pretty angry he killed the doctor before he told me where my family was. "You came to kill me huh?"

"No not today I just came to save my opportunity. Your welcome. Now I'm gonna let you live for a little while so...get out of here." I looked at him while I left the store. Where were those 2 girls? Ran away? Smart move. Get away from that crazy bastard. I was done for the day and too tired to look for more.

I was heading home, but then I say Merlyn walking away. Maybe this is my chance to kill him then and there...nah that's a dumb idea. He shot me last time I did that. I heard something coming from the store. It sounded like a phone. I went back in the store to check it out. The sound was coming from the professors pocket so I looked there and did find a cellphone. This could be the key to kind my family, I had to answer it.

"Hello" I said answering the phone.

"Give us back the boy and his father" someone said on the other line.

"What boy?...w-what father?" this professor had my family somewhere!

"You know perfectly well who they are. You stole them from us. I had men in the woods who were going to bring him to us to further our research of the Diclonius. Then your men came in, killed our men, and brought them to your-" Oh my god...this...is all because of me.

"...wait...who is this?" The man said. I hung up and ran out of the store to go back home.

This is all because of me! It's all my fault because of wasn't for me my family wouldn't have been captured and they would have had good lives. Damn it...I don't deserve to be alive...why did i have to be diclonious...well, now the only thing that matters is to find them and get their lives straightened out again. I owe them that. While I was running I saw something on the wall. When I saw it I stopped running and stared at it. It was a picture of Merlyn with the words 'wanted' on the top. It was a bounty poster on the wall. I walked up and examined it.

"Wow...didn't know they still used these today." I said looking at the poster. The money offer was 10,000 dead or alive, same price for both. Amber and I were in the need of money...and that crazy b*** isn't gonna hurt Amber and I if we get this done. I took the poster and placed it in my pocket, continuing to run back home.

When I arrived I found Amber feeding her dogs. She really did like them. She was loyal and cared for who she cared about and that's another thing I like about her, even if she doesn't care for much people...still.

" That's right. Amber will always feed you two. In terms of happiness over food I'll never make you happy with just food. Food helps though." Amber said as I walked in. As I approached Amber one of her dogs started growling at me.

"No." Amber said calming him down. I raised my hands up slightly in defense.

"Amber. I need help hunting down a prick." Amber looked at me confused. "Merlyn."

"Oh" was her response.

"He's back...he's still after me and you. We need to go after this guy." I showed her the waned poster of him. " I found this. We could use the money and not have to worry about that psycho anymore."

" If he's still alive then he wants revenge on you. You should leave."

"Yeah...not now though." I said walking away still remembering why my family was captured.

( Amber's POV)

This boy is stupid. So stupid. If circumstances were different I would throw him out of the room. That's a lie. I no longer think that way. Sure he is annoying, elevates my anger, annoys me, and never wants to do anything I ask him but I think he's changed to at least be a useful person in my life. I didn't want to talk to him. I just didn't want to look at his face because he reminded me of a boy I might have liked when I was a little more stupid. He was ten and dark-skinned. I think his parents were from Africa. I just ran to that boy and told him I love him. He either didn't respect my love or he didn't take me seriously. Either way, I'm a little too young to be involved with things like romance. I'm only living for myself.

Every time I look at this place at night I'm reminded of a crime novel. It is cold, frightening, and dangerous outside. It makes you want to never step outside in the first place. If it weren't for Alex I probably never go out this late at night. Like I said, a crime novel. In every crime novel I've read young girls always go outside for shopping or some other stupid thing like that. They always make it sound like they know something bad is going to happen but they play along because they want the criminals to show their faces. Every time the criminals show up in their cars and stab them, inject them, or drug them with something that could make them lose consciousness.

I have been in the danger zone ever since I knew there was a kidnapping psycho on this street. They say you're suppose to keep away from people who want to harm you. Murders like that psycho. In order to be safe from him, I've been following him around. All this knowledge of the psycho...was going to help me and Alex for what we had tonight. Tonight we're sneaking into a strip club.

We were in an alley next to the strip club. It is called the Retro Pink Foxes. It's called that because in the front there's a pink sign of a fox girl sitting on a expensive glass raising her foot up and down. It was meant to be exotic; a place that looks erotic on the outside is not allowed for those with young children passing by. We snuck in through the window and found the psycho. He was sitting alone, no surprise. He had no drinks, no friends, and no girls going for him. He was alone with himself.

This wasn't a very cool looking strip club. The bartender looked like an octopus and a hobo genetically put together, half of the girls in this bar had scars on their legs and faces, and there was only one place the girls were pole dancing. If I was a man...I would still hate this place. Alex seemed to like it. He was looking at the girls pole dancing like a love struck teenager. That idiot, I hit him for looking at the girls.

" Now here's what I want you to do: go up to a waitress and tell her you can't find your mommy. If she isn't going to kick you out for being underage than she'll ask what she looks like. Tell her you can only tell her by whispering it to her. While she's down I'll take one of her drinks and fill it with my own store bought poison. He drinks it, he dies, mission complete."

" I don't think that's going to work, Amber."

" Why not?"

" Them."

He was looking at three guys. Two men who looked like twins but one was white and the other were dark were with a man in a tuxedo. The man was old with a little gray mustache. The twins were very tall and muscles. The old man was pointing at us. We decided to scramble out of there. But while running I accidentally pushed a waitress. She spilled a pitcher of beer on the back of another giant man. He may've been their cousins; looking furiously with one eye because the other had an eye patch. He thought the poor waitress did it and punched her. You never hit a girl especially when you're big as him. The waitress had girlfriends and boys who were standing up for her. The next thing I knew bar fight in the strip club.

(Alex POV)

O.K that wasn't going to work. We decided to run out of there into a nearby alley and wait for a new opportunity. We waited there in that alley for a little while. People were coming out of the club with a bunch of bruises and black eyes. We didn't see Merlyn come out of there. What was he doing? I heard something behind us, it sounded like foot steps. I saw a shadow in the corner of a wall. It had to be Merlyn. I was going to face him head on...and I needed Amber safe.

"Amber listen. I need you to hide somewhere for a few minutes."

" I'm not going anywhere unless you tell me why.

"Amber just go! Quickly." Amber was confused and who could blame her? The strange things coming from my mouth didn't make any sense. She did however hide like I told her too. I don't know if it was my eyes or my voice that made her do as I say. It could be she just started to trust me.

I looked at the Merlyn's shadow. He looked like he was trying to hide behind the wall or something.

"Merlyn! I know you're there! Get out here right now!" Merlyn came out being the wall with a creepy smile on his face.

"So you came to kill me eh? Pretty brave for a little kid." Merlyn said walking towards me.

"No one needs to die Merlyn, but you do happen to have a pig price on you. I also need to stop you from hurting anyone else. Children specifically. Now we can do this the easy way. I turn you over to the police and we get money...or we could do this the hard way."

"Pretty big words for you. Do you think your some kind of professional bounty hunter now? Your small, weak, and just a kid. Your not strong enough to kill me. Not yet anyway. Now...how bout I let you go again and wait for a REAL bounty hunter." I didn't like the sound of that and there's no way I'm letting this bastard get away.

I started taking my knife out. "Well...I'm afraid I can't take that to ki-" I felt a EXTREMELY sharp pain in my chest. I fell unconscious right after that.


End file.
